Ok, this reviews gonna be a little different compared to my other reviews, so take a seat and relax. So, here's pwoods bringing his 6 year old PC over to fix it for him... We just re-installed a new hard drive and Windows XP - but that's not why you are reading this review.

The new BA trader named bifristguard was kind enough to send a total of 4 x Hair of the Dog beers to me as extras in a recent trade (Holy crap! Cameron - you are amazing!)...

Well, pwoods and I (being the beer geeks that we are) start with the lightest offerings from Hair of the Dog and then work our way up... The first three were very nice and solid, unique example for their stlye - fair enough - but in the end, I may forget about them in the years to come. Moving along, we tear through the first three HotD's with no problem. We write up our brief reviews and move on (unexpectedtly) to Adam - Batch # 55.

The pours goes nice, as a deep ruby/brown mix with an average tan head and lacing... Nice, but no show stopper in the looks department. I then move onto the nose. This is where things begin to change gears... I get a complex mix of alcohol, sweet malts, tobacco, roasted almonds and perhaps some light brandy. Wow! It's time for me to put pwoods PC down and focus on this beer!

Batch # 55 of Adam reminds me of a walk through a dark cave on the way to lost beer treasure. The taste is full and complex with a mix of smokiness, peat moss, earth, alcohol and tobacco. I am a smoker, so naturally tobacco appeals to me... This beer had just the right amount of carbonation, sweetness, big flavor and complexity to make it extremely unique and enjoyable.

My favorite Old Ale to date. Congrats HotD - This is a sublime example of an Old Ale.

T/M: Tons of smoke and peat. Rich malts, caramel, light molasses, pleasant but deep sweetness. Great alcohol depth. Maybe even a touch of smoky meats. Body is nearly full but very smooth and not syrupy or chewy at all.

D: Pretty damn drinkable for as huge as it is. Alcohol isn't too much and it's very smooth.

Poured dark brown color with medium light brown head that mostly lasted with good lacing. Medium aroma of malt, fruit and smoke tone. Medium to full body with long complex finish. Medium to full dark flavor with a medium bittersweet finish.

Thanks to Olibeer22 for this as an extra in a recent trade. Batch 72 poured into a Dogfish snifter. Black with ruby red highlights. Nice 1 finger head, which slowly dissapates, leaving a little, spotty lacing. The nose is really smokey, with oak, some sweet malts, smoked meats. Just really complex smelling, and great aroma. This is the shining point of this beer, for sureThe taste is sweet malts, smokey, with some alcohol burn mixed in. there is also some bittering hops mixed in at the finish as well. I bet that this brew would age well. This beer's taste really underwhelms me, compared to the nose. The feel of this beer is great. Coats the mouth wonderfully.I could drink this all day, if it had a year on it.

Poured this into a snifter and it presented an extremely dark brown to black head with red hues. Offered a thick, pillowy head receeding rather slowly and leaving sticky lacing. Smells of smoke, with bourbon barrel-esque tones and a malty/toffee/alcohol finish. Taste is a conplex compilation of woody and dusty (in a good way)notes, malty, smokey, some sweetness and a blue cheese like finish. It hits the palate in the same away a great blue cheese wouuld. This is a great blue cheese brew. The body is thick and full with just enough carbonation. Awesome!

Pours a deep dark brown, nearly black, with a two finger head that sticks around for a good long time. The lacing is thick, leaving a nice coating behind in the glass.

Smell; chocolate, wood, smoke all hit me as soon as I start to pour. As it seetles down some nice dark fruits start to come out, with raisins and dates. Fantastic, one of the best aromas of any beer that I've had.

Taste; the woody/smokeiness comes through right away as it did with the aroma, followed by chocolate and molasses. Raisins and dates combine with some brown sugar in to give this a semi sweet finish that helps tame the 10% alcohol.

Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied, with a very good drinkability despite the high alcohol content. Fantastic beer.

Shared this one with Nick (ThreeWiseMen). I had another one left over so I'm drinking that one as I type.

Poured into a snifter. Label says batch #72.

Appearance: Very dark brown w/ light tan head. Can only see through it when held directly to light. Kind of reminds me of a dark maple syrup.

Smell: This one smells awesome. Very complex; malts, raisins, molasses. I really like the smell.

Taste: Whoa there fruity. Again with the raisins, figs, chocolate. Nick seems to taste leather? I must not eat enough leather to notice. Alcohol is masked well but still is detectable.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy. Medium body. Nice finish; doesn't finish very dry at first but it sneaks in there. Perfecto carbonationo.

Drinkability: Not so good for a hot day. It's a very tasty brew but even after only drinking half a bottle I'm already a bit overwhelmed by the fruity notes. Would make a nice desert beer on a cold day. Now that I revisit this beer and I'm drinking it out of a pint glass rather than a snifter, I see a marked improvement in drinkability. Originally had this at a 3.5 but its cold out now and the pint glass doesn't amplify the fruitiness as much as the snifter.

Taste: Loads of malt upfront, followed quickly by some tart, berry-like flavors, molasses, and alcohol. Finishes with a bit of a leathery taste and lots of alcoholic dryness.

Mouthfeel: Pretty creamy for an old ale. Carbonation is about what I'd expect for the style; maybe a smidge higher. Body is somewhat light as well. Not too slick, nor too hot. Finishes very dry.

Drinkability: Mouthfeel definitely helps out the drinkability for this one, but I personally like other old ales better. Alcohol is a bit too strong and astringent in this one. Still good, but I'd rather have an Old Stock.

Aroma is hops and ripe fruits. Taste is very sweet, roasted malts, raisins and dark fruits, hints of dark chocolate. Some well balanced hops, and a well hidden 10%. It's already halfway gone. Very drinkable, and an excellent desert beer, as the label suggests.

This was either a Vendome or Beverage Warehouse find. I can't remember. Batch 72 Poured into a tulip.

A: Pours out caramel but ends up being a pretty dark brown in the glass with really no light getting through. Typical HotD head starts about 3-4 fingers, big, fluffy and tan, but dissipates leaving maybe a finger. Lacing is fantastic.

S: Malt heavy. Most prominent is an earthy, bready base. Sweetness of figs and tropical fruits looms in the background. There's a bit of bourbon, vanilla and maybe even a hint of chocolate in there as well. Pretty complex stuff.

T: Lots and lots going on here. I taste smoke, tobacco, leather, earth, chocolate, bourbon, a hint of figs and tropical fruits as well. The finish is resiny hops and syrupy sweetness all rolled into one.

MF: The heat from this beer is pretty intense. The alcohol certainly makes its presence known...I think you would have to call it harsh at this point. Past that, medium-thick body with pretty heavy carbonation all things considered. Super dry finish as well. All the elements combine to make this an extremely biting beer. Not unpleasant, but makes it a sipper to be sure.

D: I'll say right off the bat that this would probably benefit by sitting a while. I've had this one for at least a couple months and it's still pretty raw. That being said, it's a got a solid flavor with a lot of interesting things going on. Big alcohol on this one means that 12 ounces is more than enough for one person. I don't have much to compare this too stylistically, but it's certainly an enjoyable drink. I will definitely have to buy some more and let it sit a while to really get a good idea of what this beer is all about, though.

I got this in a trade with ccrida a few months ago, the last beer I have left from that trade. Thanks Adam, looking forward to our next trade.

Batch 69, poured into a snifter.

A really dark brown, almost black body. Opaque except for ruby tinges on the edges where the slightest amount of light manages to come through. Fairly active carbonation is noticeable just under the head of the beer. A finger or so of light brown head with ok retention, not too much lacing. However, I suspect in a pint glass this would produce some lacing.

Smells a lot like a port, which I think is good. Raisins and figs come through strongly, coupled with a general sweetness.

Up front is a good blast of sweetness that mellows to reveal a lot of the dark fruits from the nose, including raisins for sure. Also has a chocolately taste with some roasted notes in there as well. Next comes a noticeable but mild hop flavor with just a little bit of grapefruity bitterness. Finish with some noticeable alcohol heat. This is a big, complex brew that maintains a nicee balance amongst many different flavors, and is very well done and enjoyable.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied but rather highly carbonated. A lot of the beer seems to vanish in the mouth. A fairly good feel overall.

For 10%ABV this is ridiculously drinkable. Balanced, tasty and complex. This is something I would pair with a dessert for sure. Overall a great beer that I will seek out again, I'm very curious to try aging this. I could see it going multiple years and still improving.

Batch 55 labeled on the bottle, which from their website means it was bottled in 2002. I am sitting here drinking it in 2009 wishing I had a younger and maybe an older bottle to compare. I have only had this once before, and I am very fond of it. It is deliciously rich, smooth, and enjoyable.

The beer pours dark brown, almost black with an amazing thick frothy tan head that seemed to grade from small bubbles at the bottom to larger ones on top before you start drinking it. It leaves a very nice lace, and the head is very long lived. I haven't seen many nicer looking beers. It has a rich malty aroma that is smokey, a little fruity, musty and robust. Big, delicious malt flavor transitions to an almosty perfumey bitter aftertaste that has a good heat but is not distracting. Warm, thick mouthfeel that is full bodied, very smooth, and has an alcoholic finish. This is a rare beer that I think is worth what they are charging for 12 oz. bottles. I have had mixed luck with their Fred, but I am very excited about Adam.

Very dark brown with a beige head that had very good retention and lacing. Smell of caramel, dark fruit, earthy hops, smoke, and also some medicinal notes. Taste is smokey, caramel, and very medicinal. There also seems to be some sweet cherries in the taste, but most of it is medicinal. Medium carbonation and light to medium body. I'd like to try this again from a different batch to get a better idea of the beer.

Do to lack of availablity I was forced / honored to share this bottle with my partner in beer. When we poured the bottle we had no idea what we were getting into. A great dark pour with a thin but complex and full head.

The nose is deceptive and leaves a little to be desired...I thought others were joking about the horse blanket and stall but no doubt, Hi Ho Silver.

First taste opens a mass of doors, from molases and dark fruits to a little dirt and oak. Hard to tell what they were hoping for but it is anything but simple. Hair of the Dog fits quite well. Definately a sipper, even when splitting a bottle.

Dark, stout black with light tan head. I may have done a bad pour, but there's a good amount of foam, oh well. Sweet/alcohol aromas. I can smell a bit of hops and even a slight tobacco sent in there (a first). Most of this is mixed together and takes a few goes before identifying the smells, there may even be more! I think I read that someone smelled tiramisu. I'd have to agree upon my umpteenth whiff.

The taste is almost like the smell. Very good. I tend to get a black liquorish taste with a similar feel on the tounge. Lost of sweet flavors going on. The flavors aren't as strong as I'd thought, especially for a 10% brew, but I'm not complaining. The tobacco smell becomes a flavor in the leftover from each sip leaving my mouth with a subtle menthol feel, another first. (maybe the whole tobacco thing is to try and say that this brew is so good that you'll get hooked) I'm trying to find the hops, which are there, but blended in with some other strong happenings.

My one complaint is the yeast at the bottom. I love the yeast bits that pour into the drink, but it won't come out! It's okay tho.

I haven't had many brews from Hair of the Dog, mostly bigger beers. I'm always pleased and will get them again and again. Adam further proves my point.

Maybee....

Batch 77 (11/4/2010)

Pours a thick black hue, no head. Subtle tabbaco and chocolate aromas, very subtle burst of liquor aromas as well. The combined aromas almost reminds me of a strong mousse cake. Thick n syrupy mouthfeel. Notes of English Barley Wine flavors cut through the thick elixir. This drink is very malty, but in a great way. Cloves, some hops, something herbal... DELICIOUS! I wish I had a case of this beer in my cellar, make that several cases.

This old ale pours like a dark molasses into the glass. It is such a dark brown, it is nearly an opaque black. The head was about a quarter inch, and it lasted the whole time leaving lacing all the way down the glass.

The nose is filled with hints of the flavors this contains.

As you drink it, you experience some raisiny, possibly plum flavors. Molasses flavors are present as well. There is not an intense hop flavor, but neither is there an overly sweet maltiness either. The balance of this beer is spot on.

It is a beer to enjoy while sipping, and doing so will let more flavors emerge.

Batch 69 and shared with pghlee. Poured dark brown with a creamy finger of nougat snickers head. Molasses, licorice with a touch of smoke on the aroma. Nip of carbonation sting on the tongue @ first, which gradually vanished. Very bright middle flavors of sweet molasses with a hint of chocolate. 10% alcohol felt in back of throat, but very balanced for such a complex, unique brew.

12oz. brown longnecks Batch 66 and 72, courtesy of travisd13, a very generous trader...thanks man! Reviewing Batch 66. Poured into a Duvel tulip, a dark ass walnut brown with a huge two-finger khaki head that turns rocky and lasts. It leaves eventually with some lace clinging, but is brought back to life with a few swirls of the class, nice.

Sweet malty nose with some hops holding back. Some really sweet floral notes peek in, kind of a honeysuckle/jasmine combo. As it warms, the alcohol jumps out and takes control. Strong and sweet, dark fruits and alcohol, this is a seriously strong ale and it gives you warning. Ahh, the potent smell!

The taste is like, but better than the smell. Full and rich of malt and fruits, tobacco and molasses, this stuff tastes great. The alcohol pushes the malt through to a hop neutral finish. Long and warming flavor. Sweet, but never too sweet.

Big body with good complimentary carbonation and a boat load of alcohol...very drinkable if you love this style and can handle the punch. This is a great brew.